Hyperspectral imaging technology distinguishes between Puerariae Lobatae Radix and Puerariae Lobatae Caulis / 中国中药杂志

Puerariae Lobatae Radix, the dried root of Pueraria lobata, is a traditional Chinese medicine with a long history. Puerariae Lobatae Caulis as an adulterant is always mixed into Puerariae Lobatae Radix for sales in the market. This study employed hyperspectral imaging(HSI) to distinguish between the two products. VNIR lens(spectral scope of 410-990 nm) and SWIR lens(spectral scope of 950-2 500 nm) were used for image acquiring. Multi-layer perceptron(MLP), partial least squares discriminant analysis(PLS-DA), and support vector machine(SVM) were employed to establish the full-waveband models and select the effective wavelengths for the distinguishing between Puerariae Lobatae Caulis and Puerariae Lobatae Radix, which provided technical and data support for the development of quick inspection equipment based on HSI. The results showed that MLP model outperformed PLS-DA and SVM models in the accuracy of discrimination with full wavebands in VNIR, SWIR, and VNIR+SWIR lens, which were 95.26%, 99.11%, and 99.05%, respectively. The discriminative band selection(DBS) algorithm was employed to select the effective wavelengths, and the discrimination accuracy was 93.05%, 98.05%, and 98.74% in the three different spectral scopes, respectively. On this basis, the MLP model combined with the effective wavelengths within the range of 2 100-2 400 nm can achieve the accuracy of 97.74%, which was close to that obtained with the full waveband. This waveband can be used to develop quick inspection devices based on HSI for the rapid and non-destructive distinguishing between Puerariae Lobatae Radix and Puerariae Lobatae Caulis.

Advances in the development of covalent small molecule inhibitors of monoacylglycerol lipase / 生物工程学报

Monoacylglycerol lipase (MGL) is a serine hydrolase that plays a major role in the degradation of endogenous cannabinoid 2-arachidonoylglycerol. The role of MGL in some cancer cells has been confirmed, where inhibition of the MGL activity shows inhibition on cell proliferation. This makes MGL a promising drug target for the treatment of cancer. Recently, the development of covalent inhibitors of MGL has developed rapidly. These drugs have strong covalent binding ability, high affinity, long duration, low dose and low risk of drug resistance, so they have received increasing attention. This article introduces the structure and function of MGL, the characteristics, mechanisms and progress of covalent MGL inhibitors, providing reference for the development of novel covalent small molecule inhibitors of MGL.

Advances in the preclinical and clinical research of proteolysis targeting chimera / 生物工程学报

Proteolysis targeting chimera (PROTAC) refers to heterobifunctional small molecules that can simultaneously bind an E3 ubiquitin ligase and a target protein, enabling specific degradation of the target protein with the aid of the ubiquitin proteasome system. At present, most PROTAC drugs are in the clinical trial stage, and the ligands are mainly non-covalent compounds. PROTAC drugs have the advantage of overcoming drug resistance and degrading "undruggable" target proteins, but non-covalent ligands could lead to the hook effect that undermines drug efficacy. With its own advantages, covalent ligands can avoid the occurrence of this phenomenon, which is of great help to the development of PROTAC. This review summarizes the progress in preclinical and clinical research and application of PROTAC molecules targeting three different classes of protein targets, including intranuclear, transmembrane, and cytosolic proteins. We also offer perspective discussions to provide research ideas and references for the future development of PROTAC.

Clinical efficacy and adverse reactions of SBRT combined with mFOLFOXIRI and cetuximab in liver metastases after colorectal cancer surgery / 国际肿瘤学杂志

Objective:To investigate the efficacy of stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) combined with modified FOLFOXIRI (mFOLFOXIRI, irinotecan, oxaliplatin, leucovorin and fluorouracil) and cetuximab in the treatment of postoperative liver metastases in patients with KRAS, BRAF and NRAS gene wild-type colorectal cancer, and to evaluate treatment-related adverse reactions.Methods:A total of 86 patients with postoperative liver metastases from colorectal cancer diagnosed in Shandong Daizhuang Hospital from January 2018 to January 2021 were selected, all of whom were KRAS, BRAF and NRAS gene wild-type. All patients were divided into control group and study group according to the random number table method, with 43 cases in each group. The patients in the control group were treated with mFOLFOXIRI and cetuximab, 14 days a cycle, for a total of 12 cycles. The patients in the study group were treated with SBRT for liver metastases on the basis of the control group. Two patients in the control group were withdrawn from the study due to intolerance of myelosuppression (grade 4), and patients in the study group were withdrawn from the study due to intolerance of 1 case of myelosuppression, 1 case of gastrointestinal reaction and 1 case of abnormal liver function (all grade 4). The efficacy, median progression-free survival (PFS), median overall survival (OS) and adverse reactions were compared between the two groups after treatment.Results:After 12 cycles of treatment, the objective response rate (ORR) and disease control rate (DCR) of the study group were 55.00% (22/40) and 80.00% (32/40) respectively, which were higher than 31.71% (13/41) and 58.54% (24/41) of the control group, with statistically significant differences ( χ2=4.48, P=0.034; χ2=4.37, P=0.037). After treatment, 14 patients (35.00%) in the study group were resectable, which was higher than 6 patients (14.63%) in the control group, with a statistically significant difference ( χ2=4.52, P=0.034). The median PFS and median OS of the study group were 9.2 months and 19.5 months respectively, which were longer than 6.5 months and 15.2 months of the control group, with statistically significant differences ( χ2=8.83, P=0.015; χ2=7.52, P=0.027). There were no significant differences in incidences of leukopenia [55.00% (22/40) vs. 46.34% (19/41), χ2=0.61, P=0.436], anemia [45.00% (18/40) vs. 39.02% (16/41), χ2=0.30, P=0.585], thrombocytopenia [37.50% (15/40) vs. 31.71% (13/41), χ2=0.30, P=0.584], nausea and vomiting [55.00% (22/40) vs. 48.78% (20/41), χ2=0.31, P=0.575], constipation and diarrhea [20.00% (8/40) vs. 17.07% (7/41), χ2=0.12, P=0.734], liver function damage [35.00% (14/40) vs. 29.27% (12/41), χ2=0.31, P=0.581], peripheral sensory neuropathy [30.00% (12/40) vs. 26.83% (11/41) ), χ2=0.10, P=0.752], acute cholinergic syndrome [12.50% (5/40) vs. 14.63% (6/41), χ2=0.08, P=0.779] and fatigue [52.50% (21/40) vs. 43.90% (18/41), χ2=0.60, P=0.439]. Conclusion:SBRT combined with mFOLFOXIRI and cetuximab is more effective than drug therapy alone in patients with liver metastases after colorectal cancer surgery, which can effectively prolong the survival period, and the adverse reactions are tolerable.

Signaling Pathways for the Targeted Therapy of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer and Their Clinical Applications / 中国生物化学与分子生物学报

Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) accounts for 15%-20 % of all breast cancer cases, with the negative expressions of estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2. TNBC is a highly aggressive and malignant subtype, which also has a high risk of recurrence and poor prognosis. Due to its high heterogeneity and complicated clinical features, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgical resection are the dominant methods for TNBC treatment currently. However, severe side effects, high risk of recurrence, and damages to health are not neglectable. With the progress of basic research on TNBC, more and more signaling pathways suitable for the targeted therapy of TNBC have been revealed, and some of them have successfully entered into clinical trials, suggesting promising molecular targets in TNBC treatment. Moreover, some of these theraputic targets play important roles in the classification and precise treatment of TNBC. This paper reviewed the research progress and clinical trials of the classic signaling pathways in the targeted therapy of TNBC, including synthetic lethality pathway, PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway, PD-1/PD-L1 immune pathway, et al. Meanwhile, we also introduced potential signaling pathways revealed in recent years, including tumor angiogenesis pathway, polyamine synthesis and metabolism pathway, SLC3A2/LAT1 transportation pathway, and IGF-1/IGF-1R/FAK/YAP signal transduction pathway,et al.

Optimization of a cucurbit6uril-based real-time label-free method for analyzing the activity of ornithine decarboxylase / 生物工程学报

Ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) is a key enzyme in the biosynthetic pathway of polyamines and catalyzes the decarboxylation of ornithine to produce putrescine. Inhibition of ODC activity is a potential approach for the prevention and treatment of many diseases including cancer, as the expression levels and the activities of ODC in many abnormal cells and tumor cells are generally higher than those of normal cells. The discovery and evaluation of ODC inhibitors rely on the monitoring of the reaction processes catalyzed by ODC. There are several commonly used methods for analyzing the activity of ODC, such as measuring the yield of putrescine by high performance liquid chromatography, or quantifying the yield of isotope labelled carbon dioxide. However, the cumbersome operation and cost of these assays, as well as the difficulty to achieve high-throughput and real-time detection, hampered their applications. In this work, we optimized a real-time label-free method for analyzing the activity of ODC based on the macromolecule cucurbit[6]uril (CB6) and a fluorescent dye, DSMI (trans-4-[4-(dimethylamino) styryl]-1-methylpyridinium iodide). Finally, the optimized method was used to determine the activities of different ODC inhibitors with different inhibition mechanisms.

Advances in Research on Different Compatibility Ratios of Coptidis Rhizoma-Evodia Fructus / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Coptidis Rhizoma-Evodia Fructus is a classic herb pair in traditional Chinese medicine prescriptions, the famous prescription is called Zuojinwan, which comes from Danxi Xinfa, is composed of Coptidis Rhizoma-Evodia Fructus (6∶1). In this formula, Coptidis Rhizoma has the effect of clearing heat and drying diuresis, purging fire to remove toxin and clearing heart. Evodia Fructus has the effects of expelling cold and alleviating pain, checking upward adverse flow of Qi tostop vomiting, and assisting yang to stop diarrhea. Coptidis Rhizoma has the properties of bitter and cold, and Evodia Fructus has the properties of pungent and calidus. Pungent drugs have divergent effects, and bitter drugs have sedimentation effect, when used in combination, they can clear the liver and purge fire, calm the adverse-rising energy and stop vomiting. On the basis of Zuojinwan, Coptidis Rhizoma-Evodia Fructus medicine has derived different compatibility ratios. Different ratios are different in terms of efficacy, usage, clinical application. Although with the application of modern analytical instruments and the development of molecular pharmacology theory, the chemical constituents and Pharmacological effects of Coptidis Rhizoma and Evodia Fructus have been fully studied, as to the principle of compatibility, and the study of pharmacological effects and chemical constituents after the compatibility of the two drugs in different proportions, there is still no comprehensive system summary. This article makes a systematic and comprehensive explanation of Coptidis Rhizoma-Evodia Fructus from the aspects of famous literature, chemical composition, pharmacological effects and clinical applicationthrough querying literature and ancient books. In order to make this herb pair more standardized, and provide reference materials for further research and development for this herb pair.

Network pharmacology-based study on mechanisms of drug pair of Coptidis Rhizoma-Euodiae Fructus in treating cancer and cardio-cerebrovascular diseases / 中草药

Objective: To clarify the characteristics of drug pair of Coptidis Rhizoma-Euodiae Fructus on multi-components, multi-targets and multi-pathways based on the network pharmacology, and provide a theoretical reference for further study on the pharmacodynamic basis and mechanism of Coptidis Rhizoma-Euodiae Fructus against cancer and cardio-cerebrovascular diseases. Methods: Through the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology (TCMSP) database, the parameters of oral bioavailability (OB ≥ 30%) and drug-likeness (DL ≥ 0.18) combined with the biological function, contents, research hotspot and other factors were used to screen out the active ingredients of the medicine pair of Coptidis Rhizoma - Euodiae Fructus. DrugBank and TCMSP databases were used to predict and analyze the targets, and Uniprot database was used to sort out all relevant genes affecting the targets. Combining the KEGG database for GO analysis and pathway analysis, "ingredients-targets-related diseases" network was constructed using Cytoscape software. Results: A total of 41 compounds and 212 potential target genes, as well as 44 signaling pathways were obtained after screening from Coptidis Rhizoma-Euodiae Fructus, and there were 44 major signaling pathways involved in 30 pathways related to cancer, seven pathways which were related to cardio-cerebrovascular diseases, seven pathways which were related to cancer and cardio-cerebrovascular diseases. Conclusion: The active ingredients of Coptidis Rhizoma-Euodiae Fructus can up-regulate the expression of cancer apoptosis genes through multi-components, multi-targets and multi-pathways, down-regulate the expression of cell cycle and apoptosis-related genes, and produce anti-cancer effect; Protecting vascular cells by inhibiting vascular calcification, and to achieve the effect of treating cardio-cerebrovascular diseases by inhibiting apoptosis and proliferation.

Progress in the molecular mechanism of KaiA regulating cyanobacterial circadian clock / 生物工程学报

The cyanobacterial circadian clock has three relatively independent parts: the input path, the core oscillator, and the output path. The core oscillator is composed of three clock proteins: KaiA, KaiB, and KaiC. The interactions among these three proteins generate a rhythmic signal and convey the input signals to the output signals to maintain the accuracy and stability of the oscillation of downstream signals. Based on the cyanobacterial circadian clock and the structure, function, and interaction of the clock proteins of the core oscillator, combining the recent results from our laboratory, this review summarized the recent progresses of the molecular mechanism of KaiA in regulating KaiC's enzymatic activity, mediating phase reset of the oscillator, and competing with CikA for the binding site of KaiB.

Advance in Balance Training for Chronic Ankle Instability: A Systematic Review / 中国康复理论与实践

Results and Conclusion The most commonly used methods were Wobble Board training and Progressive Hop-to-Stabilization Balance training. These methods had already provided the most consistent improvements in single leg static balance test, the Star Excursion Balance Test, the Functional Hopping Test, the self-reported questionnaire and the overall quality of life questionnaire. Nowadays, the system has been set based on structural deficient, functional disability and participant disability to assess the treatment effects for the CAI population. Objective:To investigate the effect of balance training on chronic ankle instability (CAI) by reviewing literatures. Methods:Randomized controlled trials about balance training on patients with CAI from January, 2000 to April, 2019 were searched from PubMed and Web of Science.

Gliotoxin is Antibacterial to Drug-resistant Piscine Pathogens

By activity-guided fractionation, gliotoxin was isolated as an antibacterial metabolite of the fungus Penicillium decumbens which was derived from the jellyfish Nemopilema nomurai. Gliotoxin was further evaluated for antibacterial activity against several piscine and human MDR (multidrug resistance) pathogens. Gliotoxin showed significant antibacterial activity against Gram-positive piscine pathogens such as Streptococcus iniae FP5228, Streptococcus iniae FP3187, Streptococcus parauberis FP3287, Streptococcus parauberis SPOF3K, S. parauberis KSP28, and Lactococcus garvieae FP5245. Gliotoxin showed strong activity especially against S. parauberis SPOF3K and S. iniae FP5228, which are resistant to oxytetracycline. It is noteworthy that gliotoxin effectively suppressed streptococci which are the major pathogens for piscine infection and mortality in aquaculture industry. Gliotoxin also showed strong antibacterial activity against multidrug-resistant human pathogens (MDR) including Enterococcus faecium 5270 and MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) 3089.

Progress in the effect of polyamines on proteins / 生物工程学报

Polyamines are a kind of aliphatic amines that exist widely in nearly all organisms. Polyamines interact with biological macromolecules through ionic interactions and hydrogen bonds, thereby they could affect the cell growth via regulating the function of macro-molecules. The impact of polyamines on nucleic acids has been thoroughly studied. However, their effects on protein structure and functions are not well established. This review summarizes the recent progress on how polyamines affect proteins, including metabolic enzymes, ion channel proteins and other important proteins. The interaction between polyamines and proteins is discussed, and the review also summarizes the challenges in studying polyamine-protein interaction as well as the potential application of these studies on the therapy of correlated diseases.

The effect of depression on morning blood pressure surge in maintenance hemodialysis patients with hypertension / 中华行为医学与脑科学杂志

Objective To investigate the effect of depression on morning blood pressure surge ( MBPS) in maintenance hemodialysis( MHD) patients with hypertension. Methods 67 MHD patients with hypertension were included in this study.All clinical data were collected,and ambulatory blood pressure mo-nitor was used to monitor patient''''''''s blood pressure in 24 hours.Self-rating depression scale(SDS) was used to survey 67 MHD patients,and multivariable logistic regression was conducted to determine independent risk factors for morning hypertension in MHD patients with hypertension. Results There were 14 depression pa-tients in non-morning hypertension group ( 35. 0％) , 18 depression patients in morning hypertension group (66.7％),and the difference was significant(χ2=6.479,P=0.011).In addition correlation analysis showed that age(r=0.027,P=0.044),24 h systolic pressure(r=0.284,P=0.020),24 h diastolic pressure(r=0.278,P=0.023),fasting blood-glucose (r=0.293,P=0.039),low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (r=0.345,P=0.016),and the standard score of SDS(r=0. 276,P=0.024)were significantly correlated with MBPS .Furthermore,multivariable logistic regression showed that the standard score of SDS(OR=1.101,95％CI=1.018-1.191,P=0.016) ,24 h diastolic pressure ( OR=1.070,95％CI=1.007-1.136,P=0.028) and fast-ing blood-glucose (OR=2.127,95％CI=1.118-4.049,P=0.022)were independent risk factors for morning hypertension in MHD patients with hypertension ( OR=1. 101, 95％CI:1. 018-1. 191, P=0. 016 ) . Conclu-sion Depression,24 h diastolic pressure and fasting blood-glucose can increase the risk of morning blood pressure surge in patients with MHD hypertension.

Correlation between circulating uncoupling protein 2 level and severity of coronary artery lesions in patients with stable coronary artery disease / 实用医学杂志

Objective To investigate the correlation between circulating uncoupling protein 2(UCP2) level and severity of coronary artery disease(including Gensini score and criminal vessel counts)in patients with stable coronary artery disease(SCAD),and to analyze the predictive value of circulating UCP2 and urine acid (UA)for SCAD. Methods Three hundred and thirty patients from June 2015 to June 2017 were enrolled. Two hundred and forty patients with SCAD(SCAD group),90 patients without coronary artery disease(control group) were diagnosed. The circulating UCP2 level was detected by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) sandwich method. Results The levels of circulating UCP2 and UA in SCAD group were higher than those in the control group(UCP2[1.60(0.67,4.60)ng/mL]vs.[0.42(0.28,0.59)ng/mL](P<0.01),UA[(365.74 ± 66.06) μmol/L] vs. [(268.11 ± 45.81)μmol/L],P < 0.01). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that UCP2 (OR = 1.010 ,95% CI :1.001 ~ 1.020 ,P = 0.025)and UA(OR = 1.039 ,95% CI :1.007 ~ 1.072 ,P < 0.05)were independently associated with SCAD. Correlation analysis showed that the circulating UCP2 level was positively correlated with Gensini score(r=0.780,P<0.01)and criminal vessel counts(r=0.543,P<0.01). The receiver operating characteristic curve(ROC)showed that the optimal cutoff point of the circulating UCP2 level predicting SCAD was 0.64 ng/mL,and the sensitivity was 0.833 and the specificity was 0.944. No significant difference was observed in area under the curve between circulating UCP2 and UA(ΔAUC). Conclusion The high circulating UCP2 level indicates more severe coronary lesions in patients with SCAD. Circulating UCP2 level may be a new indicator of predicting SCAD,equal to the traditional oxidative stress related indicator of serum UA.

Progress in clinical research of asteroid hyalosis / 国际眼科杂志(Guoji Yanke Zazhi)

Asteroid Hyalosis (AH) is a common clinical disease,which has been considered a benign disorder as it rarely impairs visual acuity.It was often discovered when the patient was treated for other eye diseases.The mechanism was unclear.Its characteristic B-ultrasound property makes the B-ultrasound a very helpful diagnostic technique.In the case of the patients with other fundus diseases associated with AH,optical coherence tomography (OCT) and fluorescein angiography (FA) may be used to reduce the interference from asteroid bodies,therefore improve the fundus visibility.Recent studies have shown that AH can incorporate with many other eye diseases.For example,in patients with cataracts,asteroid hyalosis can cause surface calcification of silicone plate intraocular lenses,which in most cases may lead to the need for explantation of the calcified intraocular lenses.The efficacy of pars plana vitrectomy (PPV),the removal of some,or all,of the eye`s vitreous humor for AH remains controversial.In this paper,we provide a review of the recent literature on AH disease: the etiology,diagnosis and treatment.We hope to thus improve the awareness and outcomes of AH disease.

Clinical features and treatment of endogenous endophthalmitis caused by liver abscess / 国际眼科杂志(Guoji Yanke Zazhi)

Infectious endophthalmitis refers to the acute suppurative inflammation of the uveal and retinal, with acute onset, severe symptoms, and poor prognosis.Early diagnosis and effective treatment is particularly important.Based on the way of intraocular infection, endophthalmitis can be divided into endogenous endophthalmitis and exogenous endophthalmitis.In the East Asian, liver abscess is the main source of endogenous endophthalmitis, and Klebsiella pneumoniae is the main pathogen.Liver abscess endophthalmitis is a serious cause of blindness caused by intraocular infection.A liver infection disseminated through hematogenous and the primary focus was hidden, which makes the disease was easy to be confused with immune related uveitis, causing high misdiagnosis rate, delaying the best time for diagnosis and treatment.In this article we reviewed the etiology, clinical features, diagnosis and treatment and prognosis of endogenous endophthalmitis caused by liver abscess.Clinicians should maintain a high index of suspicion to the endogenous endophthalmitis caused by liver abscess.

Recent Advances in Technique and Clinical Outcomes of Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery in Adult Scoliosis / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>Conventional open spinal surgery of adult scoliosis can be performed from anterior, posterior, or combined approach. Minimally invasive spine surgery (MISS) was developed for the purpose of reducing the undesirable effects and complications. This review aimed to make a brief summary of recent studies of the approach and clinical outcomes of MISS in adult scoliosis.</p><p><b>DATA SOURCES</b>We conducted a systematic search from PubMed, Medline, EMBASE, and other literature databases to collect reports of surgical methods and clinical outcomes of MISS in treatment of adult scoliosis. Those reports were published up to March 2017 with the following key terms: "minimally invasive," "spine," "surgery," and "scoliosis."</p><p><b>STUDY SELECTION</b>The inclusion criteria of the articles were as followings: diagnosed with adult degenerative scoliosis (DS) or adult idiopathic scoliosis; underwent MISS or open surgery; with follow-up data. The articles involving patients with congenital scoliosis or unknown type were excluded and those without any follow-up data were also excluded from the study. The initial search yielded 233 articles. After title and abstract extraction, 29 English articles were selected for full-text review. Of those, 20 studies with 831 patients diagnosed with adult DS or adult idiopathic scoliosis were reviewed. Seventeen were retrospective studies, and three were prospective studies.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The surgical technique reported in these articles was direct or extreme lateral interbody fusion, axial lumbar interbody fusion, and transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion. Among the clinical outcomes of these studies, the operated levels was 3-7, operative time was 2.3-8.5 h. Both the Cobb angle of coronal major curve and evaluation of Oswestry Disability Index and Visual Analog Scale decreased after surgery. There were 323 complications reported in the 831 (38.9%) patients, including 150 (18.1%) motor or sensory deficits, and 111 (13.4%) implant-related complications.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>MISS can provide good radiological and self-evaluation improvement in treatment of adult scoliosis. More prospective studies will be needed before it is widely used.</p>

Salvianolic acid b improved endothelial function through activating ampk in diabetic mice / 实用医学杂志

Objective To investigate the effect of Salvianolic Acid B(Sal B)on vascular function of db/db mice and reveal the potential mechanism. Methods 20 male db/db mice were divided into 2 groups,the con-trol group(n=10)and Sal B group(n=10). 10 age-matched male C57BL/KsJ mice were used as the wild type control. Mice in Sal B group were given Sal B ,100 mg/(kg · d)by tube. Mice in db/db control group and in wild type control were given the same volume of saline. Body weight,tail blood pressure,heart rate and fasting blood glucose level were measured every week. After 6-weeks treatment ,thoracic aorta was obtained and used to detect the levels ofsuperoxide anion and NO,vascular function,eNOS,p-eNOS,AMPK and p-AMPK. Results Sal B could reduce the body weight and fasting blood glucose level of db/db mice ,but had no effect on blood pressure. Sal B could decrease the level of superoxide inon,increased NO level,and improved endothelium-dependent but not endothelium- independent diastolic function. Sal B could increase phosphorylation levels of eNOS and AMPK. Conclusion Sal B can reduce the oxidative stress ,increases NO level in vasculature ,and improves the endo-thelium-dependent vasodilation in the diabetic mice ,which may be associated with the promotion of AMPK phos-phorylation.

Salvianolic acid b improved endothelial function through activating ampk in diabetic mice / 实用医学杂志

Objective To investigate the effect of Salvianolic Acid B(Sal B)on vascular function of db/db mice and reveal the potential mechanism. Methods 20 male db/db mice were divided into 2 groups,the con-trol group(n=10)and Sal B group(n=10). 10 age-matched male C57BL/KsJ mice were used as the wild type control. Mice in Sal B group were given Sal B ,100 mg/(kg · d)by tube. Mice in db/db control group and in wild type control were given the same volume of saline. Body weight,tail blood pressure,heart rate and fasting blood glucose level were measured every week. After 6-weeks treatment ,thoracic aorta was obtained and used to detect the levels ofsuperoxide anion and NO,vascular function,eNOS,p-eNOS,AMPK and p-AMPK. Results Sal B could reduce the body weight and fasting blood glucose level of db/db mice ,but had no effect on blood pressure. Sal B could decrease the level of superoxide inon,increased NO level,and improved endothelium-dependent but not endothelium- independent diastolic function. Sal B could increase phosphorylation levels of eNOS and AMPK. Conclusion Sal B can reduce the oxidative stress ,increases NO level in vasculature ,and improves the endo-thelium-dependent vasodilation in the diabetic mice ,which may be associated with the promotion of AMPK phos-phorylation.

Predictive values of red cell distribution width in assessing the severity of chronic heart failure / 中国医师杂志

Objective To explore predictive value of baseline red cell distribution width (RDW) determined in a routine blood count for severity of chronic heart failure (CHF) and mortality during hospitalization.Methods The study group comprised 135 patients hospitalized in the our hospital with CHF in the Ⅱ ～ Ⅳ class according to New York Heart Association (NYHA).The control group included 44 patients in class Ⅰ.Hematological and biochemical parameters were obtained and compared among groups.Receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curves were used for assessing predictive values.Results RDW increased significantly in class Ⅲ and Ⅳ compared to class Ⅰ [(14.3 ±2.3)％ and (14.3 ± 1.7)％ vs (12.9 ±0.8)％,P ＜0.01].Areas under ROCs (AUCs) of RDW,N-terminal prohormone brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) for class Ⅳ HF was 0.817 and 0.840,respectively.RDW was significantly elevated in mortality group compared to survival group [(15.8 ± 1.8)％ vs (13.7 ± 1.7) ％,P ＜ 0.01],predictive value of RDW was lower than that of NT-proBNP but was comparable to white blood cell (WBC),neutrophil (NEU),lymphocyte (L),and neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (N/L) for mortality during hospitalization with AUCs (0.837,0.939,0.858,0.891,0.885,and 0.885,respectively).RDW and NT-proBNP showed low predictive values for repeated admission (≥3).RDW was an independent risk factor for mortality (OR =2.531,95％ CI:1.371 ～4.671).Conclusions RDW increased significantly in class Ⅲ and Ⅳ patients and death group.The predictive value of RDW is comparable to NT-proBNP for class Ⅳ and lower than that of NT-proBNP for mortality.Elevated RDW is an independent risk factor for mortality.